Teacher-rated Social Competence Research Articles

Outcomes of temperamental inhibition in young children are moderated by attentional biases

The current longitudinal study examined the association of temperamental inhibition (assessed by behavioral observation and parental reports) at three years old with reward and punishment bias (measured by a spatial cueing task) and mothers’ and teachers’ reports of internalizing behaviors and social competence at five years old in 153 Chinese children. As predicted, behavioral inhibition positively predicted later mother-rated internalizing behaviors. In addition, punishment bias moderated this relation such that children with higher punishment bias showed a positive inhibition–internalizing link. Furthermore, inhibition negatively predicted both mother-rated and teacher-rated social competence. However, novel findings were that reward bias moderated the relation between inhibition and teacher-rated social competence, such that inhibited children showed an increased risk of low competence when they had lower reward bias.

Functioning in the Real World: Using Storytelling to Improve Validity in the Assessment of Executive Functions

ABSTRACTReal-world contexts differ in the clarity of expectations for desired responses, as do assessment procedures, ranging along a continuum from maximal conditions that provide well-defined expectations to typical conditions that provide ill-defined expectations. Executive functions guide effective social interactions, but relations between them have not been studied with measures that are matched in the clarity of response expectations. In predicting teacher-rated social competence (SC) from kindergarteners' performance on tasks of executive functions (EFs), we found better model–data fit indexes when both measures were similar in the clarity of response expectations for the child. The maximal EF measure, the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, presents well-defined response expectations, and the typical EF measure, 5 scales from the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), presents ill-defined response expectations (i.e., ion, Perceptual Integration, Cognitive-Experiential Integration, and Associative Thinking). To assess SC under maximal and typical conditions, we used 2 teacher-rated questionnaires, with items, respectively, that emphasize well-defined and ill-defined expectations: the Behavior Rating Inventory: Behavioral Regulation Index and the Social Skills Improvement System: Social Competence Scale. Findings suggest that matching clarity of expectations improves generalization across measures and highlight the usefulness of the TAT to measure EF.

Theory of mind in middle childhood: Longitudinal associations with executive function and social competence.

The vast majority of studies on theory of mind (ToM) have focused on the preschool years. Extending the developmental scope of ToM research presents opportunities to both reassess theoretical accounts of ToM and test its predictive utility. The twin aims of this longitudinal study were to examine developmental relations between ToM, executive function (EF), and teacher-rated social competence in middle childhood. One hundred thirty-seven children (69 males) were followed across a 4-year period spanning middle childhood (M ages at Waves 1 and 2 = 6.05, SD = .35, and 10.81, SD = .35, respectively). Individual differences in ToM were moderately stable across middle childhood. Although there were concurrent associations between ToM and EF at both time points, there were no longitudinal links between these constructs. In contrast, there were concurrent and longitudinal links between ToM and teacher-rated social competence, such that individual differences in ToM predicted later social competence at school. These results are discussed in light of competing theories about the links between ToM and EF and the importance of individual differences in ToM for children's social lives. (PsycINFO Database Record

Longitudinal Effects of Parent–Child Interactions on Children’s Social Competence

Purpose: This study examined normative change in children’s levels of social competence and parent–child interactions (PCIs) from kindergarten through second grade as well as relations between levels of PCI and children’s social development. Methods: Multiple waves of data were collected from parents and teachers of 379 children ranging in age from 4 to 6½ years. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate change over time in social competence controlling for children’s exposure to early learning programs such as home visiting and preschool programs. Next, frequency of PCI was entered as a time-varying predictor of children’s social competence levels. Results: Results indicated discrepancies between parent and teacher reports of children’s social development. Parents reported normative growth in children’s social competence, whereas teachers reported declines in this area. Parents also reported decreases in PCIs over time. Parent-reported social competence scores were positively associated with levels of PCIs, whereas no significant association was found between teacher-rated social competence scores and levels of PCI. Discussion: These results highlight the importance of viewing children’s social competence as a dynamic variable related to a multitude of individual, familial, and social factors. Findings also emphasize PCIs as a potential target for interventions aimed at enhancing such competence.

Associations of teacher-rated social, emotional, and cognitive development in kindergarten to self-reported wellbeing, peer relations, and academic test scores in middle childhood

In two longitudinal studies, we examined to what extent teacher-rated social competence, emotional maturity, and language and cognitive development in kindergarten (measured with the Early Development Instrument, EDI; Janus & Offord, 2007) are associated with children's self-reported social relations with peers, emotional well-being (measured with the Middle Years Development Instrument, MDI; Schonert-Reichl et al., 2013), and numeracy and literacy (assessed with standardized achievement tests) in middle childhood. The studies were conducted using population-based data linkages (N>7000) from Western Canada. Using multilevel regression analyses, we found that teacher-rated social competence in kindergarten most strongly predicted 4th graders' self-report of their connectedness to peers, and emotional maturity most strongly predicted emotional well-being. Teacher-rated cognitive and language development in kindergarten most strongly predicted 4th graders' standardized numeracy and literacy test results. We discuss our results with regard to previous findings in the literature, and address methodological and conceptual challenges in regard to examining children's early development across interdependent domains.

Individual differences in effects of child care quality: The role of child affective self-regulation and gender

The current study investigated whether the relation between child care quality and children's socio-emotional behavior depended on children's affective self-regulation skills and gender. Participants were 545 children (Mage=27 months) from 60 center-based child care centers in the Netherlands. Multi-level analyses showed that children with low affective self-regulation skills or who were male demonstrated less teacher-rated social competence when exposed to relatively low quality child care. In addition, children with low affective self-regulation skills also showed more social competence in the case of relatively high quality child care, suggesting mechanisms of differential susceptibility. No main effects of child care quality or interactions were found for teacher- and parent-rated externalizing behavior. These findings emphasize the importance of considering children's affective self-regulation skills and gender in understanding the effects of child care quality. High quality child care can be a means to strengthen children's social development.

Play Behavior Differences Among Preschoolers with ADHD: Impact of Comorbid ODD and Anxiety

The acquisition of positive peer play behavior is an important aspect of child development and an indicator of social competence. Engaging in peer play may pose challenges for children with internalizing and externalizing disorders, particularly those with comorbid disorders. Existing literature contains little information on the peer play behaviors of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and even less research is available examining the play behaviors of children with comorbid disorders. The present study assessed the peer play behaviors and social competence of 107 preschoolers with varying combinations of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and anxiety symptoms. Assessment methods included direct observations and teacher ratings of child behavior. Results indicated there were no differences in observed peer play behaviors or negative behaviors toward peers, but there were differences in teacher-rated social competence between the groups. Results are discussed in terms of assessment method variations as well as directions for additional research in this critical area and implications for practice.

Children's representations of relationships with mothers, teachers, and friends, and associations with social competence

This study describes the use of story stems in order to determine children's representations of relationships with mothers, teachers, and friends, and how these representations are related to mother- and teacher-rated social competence. Thirty preschool-aged children were administered the story stem tasks featuring three different interactional partners, which were then coded for quality of the portrayed relationship. Mothers and teachers were also asked to rate children's social competence. Findings suggest that children generally have similar, but not identical, working models of their relationships with mothers and teachers which are related to internal working models of their relationships with friends. Furthermore, elements of children's narratives about teachers and friends were related to teacher's ratings of children's social competence. Findings from this study demonstrate the dynamic and interactive nature of children's representations of relationships with their mothers, teachers, and friends.

Executive functioning and school adjustment: The mediational role of pre-kindergarten learning-related behaviors

This longitudinal study tested the roles of pre-kindergarten executive function (EF) and learning-related behaviors as predictors of the level and rate of growth in children's academic performance and social adjustment from kindergarten through third grade. Growth curve models were used to estimate direct pathways between EF and trajectories of academic skill development (math, reading, overall academic functioning) and social-emotional adjustment (social competence, aggression), controlling for child gender, race, verbal IQ, and pre-kindergarten baseline scores. In addition, indirect pathways were explored, in which the association between pre-kindergarten EF and elementary school adjustment was mediated by learning-related behaviors. Pre-kindergarten EF directly predicted the level and rate of growth of later math skills and the level of teacher-rated academic functioning. Pre-kindergarten learning-related behaviors directly predicted the level and rate of growth of later reading skills, and the level of teacher-rated social competence and aggression. In addition, pre-kindergarten EF indirectly promoted later reading skills, social competence, and reduced aggression, via its association with learning-related behaviors. Findings from the present study suggest that a parallel focus on EF and learning-related behaviors is warranted in efforts to promote school readiness and adjustment.

Young Children's Trust Beliefs in Peers: Relations to Social Competence and Interactive Behaviors in a Peer Group

Research Findings: The aim of this study was to explore the relations between children's trust beliefs and social competence as well as social preference. In addition, this study examined how children with different trust belief profiles may differ in their peer interactive behaviors. A total of 47 children ages 5 to 6 participated in this study. Data were collected via observation of play behaviors, a teacher-rated social competence scale, and a child interview. The results indicated that children's trust beliefs in friends’ promise-keeping behaviors were positively associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal domains of social competence. Children who had greater trust in non-friend classmates’ promise-keeping behaviors tended to be sociable in a group, polite, and more preferred, and they were less likely to be disliked by peers. Children with different trust profiles exhibited differential interactive behaviors with peers. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that parents and early childhood educators should pay more attention to the extent to which young children trust their close friends and familiar peers, especially in terms of keeping promises. Adults may model their efforts in keeping their promises made to children and enhance children's capacity to reciprocate trust in close relationships. Adults can help children differentiate their trust based on the intimacy of relationships.

Peer Nominations of Emotional Expressivity among Urban Children: Social and Psychological Correlates.

The current study examined associations between peer nominations of children's expression of negative emotions and psychological, social, and behavioral correlates in a sample of 523 first graders. Children (85% African American) completed a peer nomination measure for expressing negative emotions. In addition, three other domains of functioning were assessed using multiple raters: internalizing symptoms (self, parent), externalizing behavior (parent, teacher), and social competence (parent, teacher). Regression analyses indicated that peer nominations of negative emotions predicted higher levels of teacher-rated externalizing behavior and lower levels of teacher-rated social competence. Peer nominations of emotions were significantly associated with teacher ratings but unrelated to self- and parent-report measures. Adding to a small but growing literature, our findings underscore the importance of assessing peer perceptions of children's emotional expressivity and their associations to social and psychological functioning in an urban, predominantly African American sample.

Validity evidence for the security scale as a measure of perceived attachment security in adolescence

In this study, the validity of a self-report measure of children’s perceived attachment security (the Kerns Security Scale) was tested using adolescents. With regards to predictive validity, the Security Scale was significantly associated with (1) observed mother-adolescent interactions during conflict and (2) parent- and teacher-rated social competence. With regards to convergent validity, the Security Scale was significantly associated with all subscales of the Adult Attachment Scale (i.e., Depend, Anxiety, and Close) as measured 3 years later. Further, these links were found even after controlling for mother-child relationship quality as assessed by the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), and chi-square difference tests indicated that the Security Scale was generally a stronger predictor as compared to the IPPA. These results suggest that the Security Scale can be used to assess perceived attachment security across both childhood and adolescence, and thus could contribute significantly to developmental research during this period.

Same-Sex and Other-Sex Peer Reports: Unique Contributors to Understanding Children’s School Adjustment

The present study proposed to understand how same-sex and other-sex peer nominations relate differently to teacher reports of children’s behaviors and measures of children’s friendships. Students provided peer nominations, mutual friend data, and social network data. Teachers rated students’ antisocial behavior and social competence. As expected, other-sex peer social preference scores predicted teacher ratings of antisocial behavior, while same-sex peer social preference scores predicted data on friendships and social groups. Unexpectedly, both same and other sex peer nominations predicted children’s teacher-rated social competence. Findings suggest that other-sex peers offer a unique perspective on children’s social behavior that is neither superfluous nor unimportant to understanding children’s psychosocial adjustment.

Stability of Psychopathic Characteristics in Childhood

The current study is a preliminary longitudinal investigation of the stability of psychopathic characteristics, including social relationships as a moderator, within a group of aggressive children ( N = 80). Data were collected from the children, their parents, teachers, and peers. Results indicated that the psychopathic characteristics (callous—unemotional traits, impulsive conduct problems, and narcissism) were relatively stable across three time points. Social relationship variables (child self-report of social competence, teacher-rated social competence, and peer-rated social preference) were generally correlated with psychopathic characteristics. Self-report of social competence moderated change from Time 1 to Time 2 narcissism based on parent report. Both peer-rated social preference and teacher-rated social competence moderated change from Time 1 to Time 3 impulsive conduct problems. These results provide preliminary support that psychopathic characteristics are generally stable in aggressive children and that social relationships are a potentially valuable point of intervention when children present with these characteristics.

Preparing Children for School—Benefits and Privileges

THE IMPORTANCE OF carefully planned transition programs for children commencing school has been advocated in the literature. These programs should be based on sound principles of transition and reflect the voices of parents, preschool and school staff, and children. A variety of practices exists, and children's participation in transition programs also varies. This paper reports a study about the participation of children and their parents in different transition activities, differences in this participation by child gender and family demographics, and the relationship between participation in different numbers of these activities and children's adjustment to the first year of school. Results indicate significant benefits of participation in high numbers of transition activities for teacher-rated social and academic competence for children. Children's adjustment to school also appeared to differ for particular cohorts of the population. The challenge is to take these findings and translate them into the public good to maximise benefits to all children rather than those already experiencing sociocultural privilege.

The Contribution of Older Siblings' Reactions to Emotions to Preschoolers' Emotional and Social Competence

SUMMARY According to Tompkins' (1991) theory on the socialization of emotion, young children's emotional and social competence are influenced by others' reactions to the children's emotions. Patterns of parental reactions to emotions have been shown to account for significant variance in preschoolers' emotion and social competence. However, the impact of others significant in the preschooler's life has been largely ignored. To help fill this gap, associations were examined between older siblings' reactions to 41 preschoolers' emotions and the preschoolers' social-emotional competence (i.e., affective balance, emotion knowledge, positive, prosocial, and provocative responding to peers' emotions, sociometric likability, and teacher-rated social competence). Using a multiple regression strategy, the contributions of sibling reactions and moderating demographic variables to preschooler emotional and social competence were evaluated. Certain sibling reactions, especially positive emotional responsiveness, were shown to play important roles. Many predictions were moderated by age of child, sex of one dyad member

Theory of Mind and Social Competence in Individuals with a Mental Handicap

This study investigated the association between performance on laboratory measures of theory of mind (standard false belief tasks) and teacher-rated measures of social competence in a sample of children and adolescents with a mental handicap. Performance on the theory of mind tasks was not significantly correlated with any aspect of teacher-rated social competence but was correlated with verbal mental age. The findings replicate those of Frith et al. (1994, Soc. Dev. 3: 107–124) who also found no correlation between social competence ratings and false belief task performance for individuals with a mental handicap. Possible reasons for this lack of association in individuals with a mental handicap are explored.

Emotion recognition and social adjustment in school-aged girls and boys.

The present study investigated emotion recognition accuracy and its relation to social adjustment in 7-10 year-old children. The ability to recognize basic emotions from facial and vocal expressions was measured and compared to peer popularity and to teacher-rated social competence. The results showed that emotion recognition was related to these measures of social adjustment, but the gender of a child and emotion category affected this relationship. Emotion recognition accuracy was significantly related to social adjustment for the girls, but not for the boys. For the girls, especially the recognition of surprise was related to social adjustment. Together, these results suggest that the ability to recognize others' emotional states from nonverbal cues is an important socio-cognitive ability for school-aged girls.

African American Children's Ability to Identify Emotion in Facial Expressions and Tones of Voice of European Americans

This study examined whether African American children's ability to identify emotion in the facial expressions and tones of voice of European American stimuli was comparable to their European American peers and related to personality, social competence, and achievement. The Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy (DANVA; Now-icki & Duke, 1994) was administered to 84 African American children. It was found that they performed less accurately on adult and child tones of voice and adult facial expressions. Further, girls' ability to read emotion in tones of voice was related to better social competence and achievement, whereas boys' ability to identify emotion in adult tones of voice was related to teacher-rated social competence. Results suggest that more research is needed with ethnic groups to clarify the impact of nonverbal processing skills on social and achievement outcomes.

Social Network Closure and Child Adjustment

Fourth-grade children’s peer groups were identified using the Social Cognitive Mapping (SCM) procedure. Children (N � 143) and caregivers then participated in interviews in which they provided information used to construct a measure of social network (intergenerational) closure, defined as the extent to which meaningful social relationships existed between children and their friends’ parents and among parents whose children were friends. Higher levels of social network closure were linked with higher achievement test scores and lower levels of parent-reported externalizing behavior. Among European American children only, higher levels of social network closure also were linked with higher levels of teacher-rated social competence. Higher levels of closure were associated with more externalizing behavior (as reported by parents and teachers) among African American children, but less externalizing behavior among European American children. Negative associations between closure and internalizing behaviors were strongest among girls who were bused from a different neighborhood to attend the target school.